Morning journal and courier., 1887-09-23
INTERPRETING "REMINISCENCES

| E8I6Gme | New Haven Citizen = A Furious
 Whales Leap to a Wha1er's Deck Quickly DIspatched-A Whales Mer.
 ciless Sea Enem1es-A Thousand Dol lars in Return for sta Penny"
 | Mr. James Fordham, boarding now at 221 Crown street, has been resident of our city over sixty years, and although eighty seven years of age, is able to ride out, but is unable | to walk much. The infirmities of age do not prevent his recalling and relating to his 1 to Europe in 1872, and the early adventures in the whaling ship Hannibal" Captain Harry Green, in 1924, during years voyage in the Antarctic sea. The vessel, in hard storm which broke off two pintles of the rud- der, was thus disabled in mid ocean, 1,500 l miles from the nearest port. With difficulty the South American port of St. Catherines was reached. When leaving the whaling ground, or seas, the American ship "Phebe Ann," Of New Bedford, was spoken. Each had eight hundred barrels of oil on board. After completing repairs and after loss of forty days the Hannibal reached the place for whaling again, and spoke the same ship, s'Phebe Ann," with only the eight hundred barrels of oil she had when the Hannibal" left St. Catherines.
 One time, when the ship had two whales in tow and being cut up and taken in a third whale was discovered to leeward. AS he approached 8 believing or moaning sound was heard and the sea around him seemed lashed into foam. Coming quite near the ship, as the whale passed by, the cause of the great commotion and believing was plain to be seen. Great fishes called thrashers were beating the whale above and numerous sword6sh below had fairly captured the monster and kept him for their prey. These great thrashers beat the monster he rose to the surface with their strong tails whirled upon him with fearful force, while beneath as many swordfish would pierce the under part of his body. Then, sorely beset above and below, the whale and his company hundreds of them-passed swiftly close by the ship. The captain said "Well have that fellow tomorrow" By tacking the ship to windward he kept ill the direction of the whale and sighted him the next day. As MT. Fordham was on board only as a passenger the captain never would allow him to go in the boats to capture the wh ales, but now told him to go in the boat to bring in the prize. The lip and throat was eaten off by the thrashers and swordfsh, parts of which would have yielded twenty barrels of oil, so that the remainder fur nished only eighty barrels.
 This story, we'll told was strange experi- ence, as the two other friends in the room, to whom it was related by him last week, inti- IT. prize taking was stranger still. Three whales were deserted by the lookout in the foretop away in the distance. All sail was made and the ships head turned to them. Rapid was the approach; clear, strong and fast were the orders given to man the three boats. The captain took charge of one, the chief mate, MT. Hunting Cooper, of a second while third, in charge of Thomas Cash, second mate, was manned and went in company to save the others in case of accident. The captain and mate each struck a whale. That struck by the captain, after running a short distance, turned tail and struck the bow of the captains boat, badly breaking it. cut the line attached to the har poon in the whale. All on board moved to the boats stern, saving her from sinking, and pulled for the ship (de- clining offered assistance of the relief boat). Reaching the ship the boat was hooked on to back, the wounded whale was seen making directly for the boat. The wide gangway was open to receive the returning crews when the whale leaped on board and would have gone clear over only that his head struck full against the mainmast. While slowly slipping back the captain with his lance pierced the body in vital part. Slipping off the deck the whale passed under the ship and swan swiftly to leeward; he was seen to spout blood. Order given to the mate, Thomas Cash, to put out for the whale and to tow him back to the vessel.
 The monster was soon safely brought in and fastened to the vessels side.
 few years since, learning that one of the sailors on this cruise, Captain Philetus Pea nan, was living at Southampton, L. l., MT. Fordham applied to him to confirm this we'll remembered incident that seems almost in- credible. Although very aged, fifty years having elapsed since the occurrence, he called it to mind and mentioned one other fact confirming it, viz.. That as the under part of the whale scraped over tke edge of the ship bushels of barnacles were left on the deck from the whales body.
 Captain Harry Green and Pelatiah Ford ham, a cousin of the relator, were out shoot ing off Montauk Point and were the discov- erers of the slayer "Amistad." They went aboard and took possession of her. The chief Cinquez was on shore with his men.
 Captain Lee, in a U. s cutter, took the yes sel from them and brought her into New London harbor. From that port she was brought here, where the famous trial took place settling forever nationally and inter nationally the question relative to slave cap tives involved.
 A good story MT. F. told of his cousin Pelatiah: In the war of 1872, while the British were in possession of Long Island and New York, Pelatiah commanded little schooner and used to run the blockade with supplies for the Americans. With his ves- sel he was captured by British man-of-war. At this time the whole British fleet was kept in terror by man named Penny, who had a boat and made torpedoes The British could not find him. They offered $1, 1000 to have his hiding place pointed out. Pelatiah availed himself of this offer, coupled with an offer of his own release. He pointed out Penny's place, received his liberty and a thousand dollars in gold. It was always re membered very shrewd transaction, in which Pelatiah Fordham got thousand dol lars for penny" He and Captain Harry Green were salvage claimants on the "Amis tad's" cargo, sold at auction in New Lon don. Mir. James Fordham and Rev. William Whittlesey came to resile in New Haven in 1893, the former from Sag Harbor, the lat ter from New Britain.